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Nreal Light mixed reality glasses launch in Korea with the Galaxy Note 20
Starting today, folks in Korea can pre-order the Nreal Light as part of a mobile phone plan on the LG Uplus network, so long as you pick the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 or the LG Velvet as your handset.
The 5G Galaxy S10 is coming to South Korea first in April
MWC attendees were among the first in the world to get their hands on Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G, but some of the company's biggest fans won't have to wait too much longer to buy one. The company has already publicly said that its 5G flagship would go on sale in Q2, but people familiar with the matter provided Engadget with a little more insight: In Korea at least, the S10 5G will go on sale in April.
Galaxy Tab 3 gets rebranded as 'Homeboy' for launch on LG's Korean mobile network
Considering that Korea's warring giants don't get along too well, it's amusing to see LG offering a Samsung-made tablet on LG U+, the latter's domestic cellular network. The "Homeboy" is a re-branded Galaxy Tab 3 that plugs into U+'s services, including TV channels, music, video, e-book and educational software stores, oh, and it'll double as a GPS while on the go. Leave the unit at home, however, and it'll also guard the property, texting you if it senses an unwanted intruder -- and is, according to the company's Kang Hyun-ku, the first step in LG's new connected home platform. That said, given that it's nearly a nailed-on certainty that we're going to see LG's return to the tablet game in short order, we don't expect the amusingly-titled slate to remain the favorite son in a couple of months.
Samsung HDTVs get an IPTV app for LG U+ in Korea, most US providers are still slacking
Here in the US, Samsung has consistently pushed the idea of using its HDTVs to watch cable / satellite without a set-top box at CES for the last several years. So far it has actually managed to launch support for DirecTV and Verizon FiOS video via IP although other providers demonstrated are still missing (Time Warner, Comcast), and now it's launching IPTV support at home in Korea with LG U+. The app lets Smart TVs directly tune into any of 138 broadcast channels as well as video on-demand, apparently without any box in the house. While we wait for easier IP access stateside -- and it's going to be an even longer wait now -- Samsung's also rolling out IPTV access with Estonian provider Elion, while LG U+ has already announced a set-top box with integrated Google TV, NFC and more. Maybe next year really is the year we get to ditch the cable box -- but also, maybe not.
Korean IPTV service LG Uplus launches a Google TV-powered set-top box
While we've seen the Google TV platform spread to additional manufacturers and some new lower-priced form factors, LG Uplus (not the same as LG Electronics) is the first we've seen offering a set-top box for its IPTV service based on it. new and existing customers alike can opt for the U+TV G, which will blend live TV streams, video on-demand and Google TV apps. Rapper Psy will be playing a large part in a national campaign to promote the offering, and after making Korea the tenth country Google TV is available in, Google says it will continue to work with providers around the world. Jumping inside the cable box is a notable move for the project, however at home hasn't significantly improved integration beyond that originally offered by Dish Network, and it's not even built into the Google Fiber set-top box. Check out a few (oddly silent?) demo videos embedded after the break.
Editorial: HTC's departure from South Korea proves a tough fight for foreign brands
HTC's closure of its South Korean office may seem yet another blow to the company this year, but don't be alarmed: we saw it coming. It's a given that Peter Chou's gang is cutting back in response to its recent weak performance, but the more interesting takeaway here is the fact that the South Korean smartphone market is one tough nut for foreign brands to crack open. Just walk into any carrier shop in Seoul and you'll see the shelves dominated by devices from Samsung, LG and Pantech. If you're lucky, you may spot the odd Sony, Motorola and HTC phones cowering in a corner. So why is that the case? Let's take a look at the how it all started.
